Antianimal Biological Weapons Programs - Deadly Cultures: Biological Weapons Since 1945 - page 233

published in the reputable publication New Scientist, when an article re-
ported claims that Brazilian authorities believed that a recent outbreak of
FMD in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sol had been “started delib-
erately.” 24
The Nature of Antianimal BW Activities
This brief overview of antianimal BW activities highlights several emer-
gent general themes that differ considerably from modalities associated
with antipersonnel or antiplant BW development and use, and together
provide a partial insight into this form of warfare.
Antianimal Projects and BW Programs
Little policy-related documentation dedicated to antianimal biowarfare
has been declassified. It may be that antianimal projects were subsumed
into antipersonnel programs and that policy documentation related to
both.
However, there appears to have been a clear dedication of resources to
antianimal activities separate from other forms of BW development. All
the antianimal projects discussed above included facilities that appear not
to have carried out research for antipersonnel or antiplant weapons de-
velopment (even if they did carry out non-weapons-related civilian re-
search).
The concept of dual use—the utility of information or equipment for
both peaceful and hostile purposes—is prominent in the field of anti-
animal BW programs. Much of the technology (both tangible and intan-
gible) required to carry out the activities detailed above has both weapons-
related and civilian applications. Support for this claim comes from the
disease prevention work carried out at many of the facilities associated
with antianimal BWs development, such as Pirbright (which is now the
world reference center for FMD and a number of other animal patho-
gens), Plum Island (which is still the USDA animal disease research cen-
ter), and Grosse Isle (which developed important animal health resources
for highly infectious animal diseases, such as a vaccine for rinderpest). 25
One clear theme that emerges from the history of antianimal activities
is the relationship between military development and sabotage method-